Life in the Cloud Age

By Rebecca J. Connolly, CPA

If you’re anything like me, you wonder what a cloud is, besides the one I see when I look out my office window.

Most people resist change because they don’t know what it truly is, but let’s take a moment to ignore our instinct of ‘no’ and think about what this truly is and if it is right for your business. The cloud is not something you touch, but it is a tool in your corporate toolbox that you should consider using.

For business owners, the true questions are, what is cloud computing? How do I use it? Is it safe? And, why would I spend the money?

The true definition of cloud computing is confusing to most, but the information element is ease of use and availability. Many small-business owners need frequent access to their office network, and what if that office was fully accessible at your home computer?

There are many options that allow a business owner or worker to access their office computer, but cloud computing offers your business software to not be stored not on your laptop or desktop, but on an online solution that can help save the costs and late nights spent in the office.

I was skeptical as to how cloud computing would work and the true speed and efficiency of it, but I can travel all over the Northeast part of the U.S. for my clients and have everything available to me from any computer, including my laptop. How many of us are stuck carrying a laptop and waiting 15 minutes a day to load due to how large our software is? My laptop takes a minute or less to load due to minimal software being loaded on it because our office uses cloud computing.

You might ask, is cloud computing safe for my business? Nowadays we hear so often about data breaches that they are not shocking anymore, but just a thing of the times. So, let’s take a step back and think about how secure we are with our work computers, company data, and Internet access.

If you practice the gold standard of security, you don’t store any company files on your laptop itself, the laptop is backed up every day, and you do not use the internet except for required business activities. How many people do all three of these items? If you are part of the general population of business owners and workers, you put systems in place the best you can using your knowledge or your hired consultants’ suggestions. You then attempt to follow those processes and procedures, but again, you’re human, so maybe the local drive on your laptop is backed up only once at month at best.

Cloud computing could be your answer, or at least make you think about where your business stands and determine if you are losing time with your current work setup. Cloud computing has layers of security most people never think about, including frequent backups, two-factor authentication, and audit logs.

Another question people have once they partially understand the aspects of cloud computing is price. Now, I ask you, what is the price you are willing to pay to allow yourself and your workers access into your software securely at any time from any location?

The next question you should ask yourself is how much time, effort, and money are you losing using your current platform. Do you wait for your system to boot up for a long period of time every day, and so do all your employees? Is your current system secure, or do you just tell yourself it is so that you can sleep at night?

There are so many questions to ask here, but the first item to resolve when looking at how to move your company into the next phase of information technology is realizing that we know our business inside and out, whether it is making a product or providing a great service to our community. Just because we’re not experts in the field of cloud computing or technology in general does not mean that we couldn’t save time, money, and frustration, while also enhancing security, by looking into new technology to help the business grow.

Working in public accounting with many small-business owners allows me to realize there isn’t enough time in the day or week to allow for everything that needs to get done. Losing data and hard work because of a computer glitch or a bad information-technology setup is not only unacceptable, but also costly to businesses beyond price tags.

I’m not saying everyone needs to be using the cloud, because each business and every business owner is different. I am saying that it is prudent to take the time to access your current system, no matter how much time and effort it costs you, and evaluate if you are doing yourself and your business a disservice by not using cloud computing or a similar technology.

Rebecca J. Connolly, CPA is audit manager for the West Springfield-based accounting firm Burkhart Pizzanelli, certified public accountants; (413) 734-9040.